How Endurance Strength Training Can Benefit Your Health

Endurance strength training is a type of exercise that causes your muscles to contract against weight, which in turn builds up the strength and mass of the muscles. Whether you do endurance strength training at home with dumbbells or soup cans, or with expensive equipment at the gym, your body will reap the rewards of incorporating this type of exercise into your healthy lifestyle. Read on to find out how endurance strength training can benefit your health.

Improves Strength and Balance

Working out with weights increases the size of your muscles and gives you stronger joints. This enables your body to have more physical endurance and do better in sports, work and daily activities. Strong muscles also help you achieve better balance and coordination. Doing regular endurance strength training can also keep your muscles from atrophy as you age.

Builds Bones

Bone density peaks by age 30, but through endurance strength training, you can increase bone density and help prevent osteoporosis. Weight bearing exercise increases your bone density by encouraging the release of growth hormone in your body, and it promotes new bone cell growth. Becoming stronger through exercise also protects your bones by helping you prevent falls and damage such as fractures.

Strengthens Immunity

Moderate exercise in the form of endurance strength training has a positive effect on the immune system. By building muscle, your body has the protein it needs in reserve to draw upon during illness. Your body will use the protein to create white blood cells and antibodies to fight infection. Exercise also has an anti-inflammatory effect which is good for the immune system.

Improves Insulin Sensitivity

Endurance strength training is effective for improving your body's insulin sensitivity, which is important to help prevent and control diabetes. Extra muscle gives your body somewhere to store glucose, and building muscle mass can help keep your body's glucose levels in normal ranges.

Increases Metabolic Rate

Through the aging process, basal metabolic rate decreases, which results in fewer calories burned while at rest. Through endurance strength training, you can increase your muscle mass and raise your basal metabolic rate. Increasing your metabolic rate enables you to burn more calories both while at rest and during activity.

Promotes Better Mental Health

Endurance strength training, like most forms of exercise, increases blood, oxygen and chemicals in the brain that are beneficial in helping you to think clearly and enjoy less stress. Exercise also helps reduce stress hormones such as cortisol, and is helpful in relieving symptoms of depression. Getting regular exercise enables you to fall asleep faster, sleep better at night and enjoy a deeper, more restful quality of sleep. Having better health and strength through exercise will make you look and feel your best. This builds confidence and self esteem.

Most people, including those who are elderly, can enhance their health through endurance strength training. It's not necessary to work with heavy weights, since using a lower weight with more repetitions can give you the health benefits you're aiming for. Just be sure to see your doctor before you start a new exercise program, especially if you have a chronic health condition.